Fingertips
by Victoria2
Summary: A visit from her mother provokes much stress and panic in Donna while Josh attempts to bring the funny. A JD pairing.
1. Phone Calls & Bathroom Stalls

Title: Fingertips

Author: Victoria PG-13 to be safe

Summary: A visit from her mother provokes much stress and panic in Donna while Josh attempts to bring the funny. A J/D pairing.

Feedback: Is, as ever, much appreciated.

Disclaimer: I don't own these characters – if I did Josh would have told Donna a _long_ time ago...

Author's Note: I love Josh Donna, I just hope I can do those two scamps justice!

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Donna Moss liked to think of herself as the deputy Deputy Chief of Staff to the Bartlett administration, Joshua Lyman on the other hand, preferred to think of her as his own personal slave – in Donna's opinion that is. She knew that she was indispensable and that if Josh was forced to survive without her for even one day he'd sleep in, be late for all his meetings, his schedule would fall apart and he would end up wearing a garishly ugly tie on prime time television for the whole nation to ridicule.

Sometimes she found it difficult to believe that such an apparently educated and intelligent man who had one of the most important jobs in the country could be so…well, so damn idiotic. She had lost count of the times he had arrived at her apartment in the middle of the night in a drunken stupor to yell at her roommate's cats. If he weren't so sweet he'd be insufferable.

"Donna!" Josh's voice echoed through the west wing. "Where are those files for the thing?" a moment passed. "Donna?" he shouted again. Still no answer. Josh decided to go in search of his seemingly wayward assistant. He pulled his chair out from behind his desk and wandered through into the bullpen, and subsequently, to Donna's desk. Which was unoccupied. He turned to a woman carrying a box of papers hurrying through the long corridor. "Hey CJ, have you seen Donna?" he asked, a frown forming. The tall brunette shook her head apologetically as she whisked past on her way to her office.

Josh was confused. Donna was always at her desk. Granted, she didn't always answer when he called her, or even bring him a simple cup of coffee in the morning, but all the same, he usually knew where she was. It was a little disconcerting.

He had seen her just a few minutes ago, so she couldn't have gone far. He meandered down to Sam's office under the pretence of talking about the new firearms bill. In reality, he was looking for his blonde assistant, without whom he had no idea what was going on. As he neared the door of his friend's room he noticed that Sam was having a rather heated debate with Toby. It seemed to be over what the correct definition of a 'tree-hugger' was and why the term could or could not be used by the President in his upcoming speech to the environmental lobbyists. It was an argument he had little desire to be part of and so he turned back to his own office.

He sauntered along, his hands deep in his pockets, sighing occasionally. A flash of gold in his office caught his eye. Donna. She was organizing the reports on his desk. "Trying to cover up her absence, thinking I won't notice!" he thought gleefully to himself. Well, he'd just have to let her know that he knew that she's been slacking off. He marched into the room, slamming the heavy door behind him. At the sound Donna jumped up and looked at her boss in shock.

"What's wrong?" she asked, concern radiating from her. Josh just narrowed his eyes at her.

"As if you didn't know!" Donna frowned at him. "Oh, don't play all innocent with me, missy!" She raised her eyebrows at him in amusement.

"_Missy_? Are you feeling alright Josh? 'Cause there _are_ a lot of bugs going about at this time of year, and I happen to that know you have a particularly weak system…" Josh cut her off abruptly.

"I'm talking about you disappearing off in the middle of the afternoon when you should be working!" he pointed an accusing finger at her. She leaned back nonchalantly, a small smile playing on her lips. "What? What?" he cried, throwing his hands up into the air. She looked him right in the eye, tilting her head to one side as she threw him a sweet smile.

"I just didn't realize that after three years I needed your permission to go to the bathroom." She continued to stare in amusement at him as he felt an overwhelming sense of embarrassment wash over him.

"Right. Ok." He replied in a small voice as he tried to regain some dignity. It was a hopeless battle. He gave up. "Sorry", he begrudged. She continued to smirk – definitely time to put her back to work, he thought. "Well, once you're finished gloating could you get me the Lieberman file?"

"It's already on your desk." Donna told him as she passed by him. Josh turned to her as she left the room.

"And the…" he started.

"So is the Blackwood file" she finished in a singsong voice just before she closed his office door. Donna Moss might not be the most respectful of employee's, Josh pondered. She might not fetch him coffee, or heed him when he threatened to fire her, or even act as if he were her boss but she was the best assistant he could have hoped for, he realized. After all, how many other senior staffers could boast a psychic secretary? This Christmas he might even have to buy her a pair of ski's…

Donna took her seat at her desk, ready to review Josh's schedule for the next day. It looked light, and she might get home before 9 – an unusual occurrence those days. As she started to fill in just one of the several hundred forms she had left to wade through in her in-tray, the phone began to ring. Thankful for the distraction from the impending mountain of paperwork in front of her, she picked up the receiver.

"Joshua Lyman's office" she answered brightly. As the caller began to speak however, her face grew pale and her expression worried.

From his office Josh saw the change in Donna as she spoke on the phone. He had been watching her, finding it much more entertaining and rewarding to watch his pretty assistant than review the files in front of him, but now he was concerned for his friend as she talked in low, tense tones into the plastic receiver.

He felt relief at the end of the call. It had lasted several minutes, and as the time had passed Donna appeared more and more distraught. After she hung up Joshua watched as she slumped onto her desk, her head cradled in her hands. He shot up and made his way over to her, hoping no one else noticed how upset she was.

Donna rubbed her hands over her face. She felt numb. This was the worse thing that could possibly have happened to her. She didn't want to have to deal with it. She felt a strong pair of hands rest on her shoulders, comforting her. She knew who it was.

"Oh Josh. It's awful" she let a desperate sigh. Worried, he dropped down beside her and looked her straight in the eye. She looked dreadful. Her face was ashen and her eyes had lost the sparkle that had been there just a few moments earlier. Slowly, he took her hands in his protectively.

"Donna. What is it? What's wrong?" Whatever the news was, Josh vowed he would get her through it, just as Donna had stood by him all those months after he had been shot. She had been strong for him, and now he would be strong for her. "Donna, I promise you, whatever it is, I'm here for you."

Suddenly he was horribly aware that they were sitting in the middle of the bullpen, providing a focal point for various staffers who were watching the scene as discreetly as they could from the wings. "Maybe you should come into my office…" he realized that whatever the matter was, it would be best handled in private and not as part of the communal gossip mill that the White House thrived on.

Still she didn't move. His voice became pleading.

"Donna…" she looked him right in the face, and as she focussed she lost the vacant, glossy stare that had previously occupied her eyes.

"It's my mother…" she whispered. Josh froze. Her mother had died. She had been in an accident. She was missing. She had been eaten by coyote's in a tragic mishap while on vacation to San Diego Zoo.

"Yes?" he leaned in closer to her. Her eyes were full of fear.

"My mother is coming to visit me. Tomorrow!" She cried out as she jumped out of her chair. She pushed her hand to her mouth. "I think I'm going to be sick!" she yelped as she took off towards the toilets, leaving Josh crouched down by her desk.

"Her mother…is coming to Washington?" he mumbled in confusion as he watched Donna's retreating back. "What's the big deal?" For Josh the image of 'mother' conjured up memories of freshly baked cookies, of freshly laundered sheets and of… well, of home. He just couldn't understand Donna's reaction.

He wanted to go check on Donna, to follow her right into the toilet stall and hold her long hair back from her face. He wanted to rub her back and make soothing noises. He wanted to help. It was only a deep rooted fear of reprimand from the other female staffers that stopped him from following his assistant into the deep unknown that was the little girl's room.

Josh shook his head at the thought of the word assistant. It didn't even begin to encompass the relationship that existed between him and Donna, yet try as he might he could find no other appropriate term to surmise their connection. He smiled. They were unique, and for some reason that made him very happy indeed.

Inside the dreaded bathroom, Donnatella Moss was in the process of splashing cold water onto her now flushed face. When she had first received the news of her mothers visit the shock had caused the color to drain from her already pale cheeks, but standing in front of the mirror she was acutely aware of the scene she had just created in the middle of the West Wing in front of both her co-workers and her boss. Whom she had told of her sudden need to vomit. She groaned with embarrassment and for a moment was unable to meet the gaze of her own reflection, unwilling to see the shame in her eyes.

She checked her watch. She had been standing there for a full ten minutes. Donna knew that without her to organize and run every step of his day, Josh would be slacking. Big time. Drawing herself up to her full height and squaring her shoulders, Donna got ready to face the world again. She breathed in slowly and deliberately, taking a moment to compose herself before she stepped out into the bustling hallway.

Donna looked out towards Josh's office, but couldn't see him anywhere. As she wondered where he was a tentative hand reached out and caught her elbow.

"Hey." Donna spun around at the sound of her boss's soft voice. He stood leaning back against the wall beside the restroom. She realized he had been waiting for her. His expression was concerned, but still playful. "I know you minored in drama Donna, but jeez…" he trailed off. She rolled her eyes at his joke.

"Lame Josh, real lame." She smiled at him.

"Hey, that's the thanks I get for looking out for you?" His voice was tender and slowly he led her through the crowded corridor. Donna could feel everybody's eyes on her, waiting to see what happened next. Josh turned to her and motioned into his office "Come in here, tell me about it." She smiled. He was being so sweet. But this was Washington, and they worked in the White House.

"Can't. You have to go to the meeting with Hoynes now." He blinked at her quick response.

"Well, ok. When I get back then." Josh was determined to find out what exactly was wrong with Donna's mother visiting.

"You've got meetings on the Hill from 3, and then you've got to see Leo about the thing." Donna smiled as she saw Josh grimace. "I'll be here when you get back though."

She handed him the papers he needed for his meeting as she spoke, and for a second her fingertips brushed against his. He stared at her, and Donna looked back at him expectantly. She didn't know the effect she had on this man, she couldn't know. He kept his feelings hidden and her suspicions at bay with biting sarcasm. But every ounce of his being called out to her to recognize and reciprocate the feelings he held. Every time he listened to her inane trivia, or sabotaged a date with another of her gomers. Josh was in love with her, and she didn't even know it.

Shaking himself out of his blissful reverie he nodded at her.

"Sure, later…" he trailed off, unsure of what to say. There was a small silence. "Ok. I'm gonna go do the thing now" He tapped his folder against the doorframe and exited stage right, much to Donna's amusement. As bad as the revelation of her mothers impending arrival was, Josh was just odd enough to amuse her and allow her to forget for a moment the doom that a visit from Annabelle Moss usually heralded.


	2. Carpal Tunnel

It was late by the time Josh got back from the Hill, and even later by the time he finished up his workload for the day. Sitting at his desk he found himself thinking again about Donna and her reaction to her mothers visit. He and Donna had worked together for years. He still thanked God for that first day they met. She just showed up in his office, ready to work. He didn't hire her, he didn't even ask for her, but he got her all the same. A wistful smile played upon his face as he thought about her, and the way she had been brought into his life. In all that time, she had never mentioned having a problem with her mother.

"Josh?" Donna stood in the doorway. "I'm all done, so I'm gonna take off now, ok?" It hurt him to see her so visibly upset. She had of course gotten through the day, performing her functions as his assistant to the fullest, but there was no banter, no spark. He missed that.

"Don't think you're getting away that easily." He stated. She stared back at him, exasperated.

"What? I did all the filing, the form filling and the phone answering that I'm required to, so now I'm going home. I'm not working late tonight Josh. You don't need to, so I certainly don't."

"Donna, remember when you wanted to talk about Carpal Tunnel Syndrome?"

"Yeah, sure I do. But I don't see what…"

"And remember how I didn't care?"

Donna rolled her eyes at the memory. She didn't like the way Josh was leading her through the conversation step by step, as if explaining something incredibly simple to a small child.

"Yes, I remember how you took no interest in either my well-being, or the well-being of the millions of other Americans who are affected by Repetitive Strain Injury..."

Josh groaned inwardly as Donna began to reel off the many facts and figures she had memorized on the topic. As she stopped to draw breath he interrupted her again.

"Well, that was wrong of me."

"Wrong?"

"Yes, wrong."

"You, Josh Lyman, are admitting you were wrong?"

"Yes."

"Of your own free will?"

"Yes."

"Are you sure you feel ok Josh, 'cause this is the second time today you've acted really weird, and I'm getting kind of worried."

"I'm not acting weird."

"You just admitted you were wrong."

"So?"

"So that's weird."

"Look, we're getting off track here."

"There's a track?"

"Yes."

"Oh."

Josh was pleased. There was now banter. There was now spark. There was a Donna Moss that he understood.

"So, umm, about that phone call…" he trailed off awkwardly. It wasn't the best link he could have thought of, but he reminded himself that he wasn't a speechwriter like Sam, he was the Deputy Chief of Staff and he dealt with…well, the staff. He just didn't know what to say to her. He wanted to help, he really did, he just didn't know how.

Donna was equally uncomfortable. This was the conversation she had been trying to avoid all day. It was just so embarrassing. It wasn't as if she and her mother had the type of terrible relationship you saw on talk shows. Annabelle Moss had never disowned her daughter, never beat her, never even openly criticized her. But she niggled. Little comments here and there. About her clothes, her job, her friends. Years of practice meant that other people would struggle to pick up the subtext of what her mother said, but Donna could. That was also due to years of practice.

"Look, I'm really sorry about that. I just…overreacted, that's all."

Josh practically winced at the forced casualness in her voice. He watched as her cheeks flushed red and she bit her lip.

"Ok. If that's all it was?"

"Yeah. It's nothing. Really. I just ate a donut, and then the sugar rush… you know."

"Yeah." He drawled sarcastically. He couldn't help it. He didn't want to be mean to the woman he loved. But he was. She glared at him.

"And as much as I appreciated being told that you were wrong about Carpal Tunnel Syndrome..."

"Hey, I didn't say I was wrong about Carpal Tunnel Syndrome! I said I was wrong not to listen to you."

"Right. Ok. Anyway. Why? I mean, why, out of the blue, suddenly announce your wrongness?"

"Wrongness?"

"It's a word!"

He smirked.

"I think you'll find that it isn't"

"Look. I don't want to argue about whether 'wrongness' is a word – which, by the way, it is – I want to know where the sudden apology came from."

Josh didn't know what to say. Hell, _he_ didn't even know where the RSI thing came from. It had seemed like a good idea at the time…

"Well, I guess I figured you might, I don't know, open up to me if I got you on my good side."

There was a long pause during which Josh swore he could see the cogs turning in Donna's brain, weighing up what he had just said. Eventually, she spoke.

"You told me that you were wrong not to listen to me because…?

"Because now I want you to talk, and for me to listen, and that was sort of my way of telling you that."

Josh screwed his face up as he spoke, leaning his face into his hand. It was a terrible explanation. It was stupid. He was a graduate of Harvard and Yale and yet couldn't manage to string a coherent sentence together. Instead he spent hours every day walking around the White House talking about 'the thing' and now was unable to have a real conversation with a woman he had spent almost every day with for three years.

Smiling softly, Donna watched as her boss squirmed in his seat after professing a desire to find out about what was going on in her life. It was moments like that that made working for possibly the most demanding man on the planet worthwhile.


End file.
